Photos:

Each week we will look to feature a few photos. This week is focused on updates!

One Planet & Transportation: Please be sure to register your students for One Planet if you would like after school childcare, and please check the bus route info. Chelsea Bus Route times were updated.

Salad Bars are Back: TCS and CPS now have salad bars. Kudos to CPS for getting this started last year. Our salad bar at TCS is designed for K-4th grade students. All breakfast and lunch remain free this year. Please fill out your free and reduced lunch form asap! Your application allows us grant money even if your family does not qualify.

Snacks: Daily snacks at First Branch are a fresh Fruit or Veg. We ask families to partner with us on healthy eating habits. Snacks sent from home should reflect healthy options. Should families need assistance please reach out to our school nurses for community connection. We are here to help and support all students.

Hello First Branch,

Welcome to the new school year, and we are thrilled our hallways are filled with students, faculty, and staff. It has been an exciting first few days! We wish our families a safe and restful weekend. Please review the following info so your students are ready for next week!

Principal and Associate Principal Schedules:

This year we are getting focused on community needs. Mr. Rivers and Mrs. Cash work across the district to support students, staff and families. Here is the schedule of where we are!

Tunbridge Central School:

Monday: Mrs Cash (am)/ Mr. Rivers (pm)

Tuesday: Mrs. Cash

Wednesday: Mrs. Cash

Thursday: Mr. Rivers

Friday: Mrs. Cash

Chelsea Public School:

Monday: Mr. Rivers (am)/ Mrs. Cash (pm)

Tuesday: Mr. Rivers

Wednesday: Mr. Rivers

Thursday: Mrs. Cash

Friday: Mr. Rivers

Family ID: Please, please, please register your students on family ID. This is the number one reason why families are in the dark about info. If you hear of frustration with other families, please have them reach out to our main offices. Each year all families must either register or update their Family ID account per student enrolled in WRVSU schools from preschool-12th grade. Information is then entered into our student information system (Web2School) and from there to Blackboard (school-wide email, text, and phone system) and Constant Contact (Friday News). This must be completed yearly for communication, photo permission, health, and emergency needs. All returning students must also update or register if they have yet to do so in the past. For safety, we cannot always post everything on social media. In years past, Family ID has not been a focus and is now a focus to support clear and consistent communication and support. Please use the link below and click on the option needed: returning student, new student, or preschool. If you need help, we need to know so we can schedule a time for you to come in and work with our main office staff. We are extending our deadline to September 8th. Our front office will call families not in the system this week to schedule appointments. Students not in the system cannot leave school grounds and, therefore, cannot attend the Tunbridge Fair Trip on the 14th. That is how important this is. 

Link: First Branch Landing Page

Transportation: Our new bus company is working hard to ensure route times are reduced. Here is the updated Bus Routes for First Branch. If your family uses the Chelsea Bus Route times were adjusted. Please remember we are dropping off and picking up at the front of Chelsea Public School. If you have a bus rider please remind them that riding the bus is a privilege. Please see the handbook for expectations. All riders were given a run through of rules on Friday.

Bus Route Schedule Update: Click Here

First Branch Handbook:

This year we have updated our handbook. The handbook is linked into Family ID and we encourage everyone to review the handbook. Updates will happen and we will share them across our communities when this occurs. For quick access to the handbook please click here.

Events this Week:

9/4/2023: No School, Labor Day

9/5/2023: First Branch Board Meeting & One Planet begins.

One Planet Paperwork, click here.

9/7/2023: Mr. River Reads to TCS classes! Student will be able to meet Mr. Rivers our new associate principal through a read aloud. Any classes he misses he will read to them on 9/21.

9/7/2023 & 9/8/2023: Tie Dye for New Students at CPS (9/7) TCS (9/8)! If your student is a returning student and has a shirt from last year that no longer fits please send it in. We are happy to pair them with a new student to help tie dye. Please contact our school counselors directly. Some students have completed their shirts before school started. They will still be welcomed to help tie dye some community shirts.

9/8/2023: Instrumental Music Forms at CPS are due! Any form accepted after 9/8 will need to wait until the next round of lessons open.

Instrumental Form: click here

9/8/2023: CPS First Town Hall

On the Horizon:

9/14/2023: Tunbridge Fair, K-8th Grade

*We need Family Help to fill chaperone and class helper roles. Any student or adult attending must have Family ID completed. (Teachers do not complete family ID).

Chaperone: Must have a background check completed, can ride the bus and can be with a small group of students on their own.

Class Helper: Does not need a background check as per the SU, must provide their own transportation and cannot be left with students (beyond their own) alone.

Please reach out to your teacher to assist!

9/21/2023: Mr. River reads to remaining classes at TCS!

9/21/2023: Open Houses TCS, K-4th

• 5-6 pm Pot Luck
• 6-7 pm Classroom Visits
• K-2nd Grade: Please bring a side to share. 
• 3-4th Grade:Please bring a dessert to share.
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9/28/2023: Open House, CPS, PreK & 5th-8th

• 5-6 pm Pot Luck
• 6-7 Classroom Visits
• 5-6th Grade: Please bring a side to share. 
• 7-8th Grade:Please bring a dessert to share

Oct 2023: Clubs for CPS

We are excited to announce a few after school activities for CPS for students 5th-8th grade. We have a Charcoal Drawing class in the works and a World Language class (Mandarin). We are looking for community members to join in and support this work with compensation. Do you have a skill or hobby you can share? We would love to learn it with you. Contact Janet Cash, [email protected]. This is made possible by the Community + Schools Grant!

*The Mandarin class is as a result of Mrs. Cash winning a free class package at the Vermont Principal Association Conference.

Reminders:

• Friends of First Branch: Please consider joining our community organization “Friends of First Branch.”  You can join at any time by contacting our volunteer team at [email protected], all are welcomed!

Janet Cash

Principal, First Branch Unified District

Follow Up In Real Time!

Facebook: First Branch Unified District

Instagram: @first_branch

Photos:

Tunbridge Library Programs! Click Here

World Language Club for CPS!